Dream Share
by Tronnie
Summary: Bran and Jojen dream-walk together, and it results in a close bond between them. Brojen (Bran/Jojen)
1. Chapter 1

"Can you help me with it?"

"Of course. I'll explain as much as I know and—"

"No, I mean—can you _show _me?" Bran searched Jojen's eyes, hoping he understood. "Can we…dream together? It might be the only way I'll learn it completely."

The other boy hesitated, his eyes darting away. After a moment he spoke.

"It can be done. But…"

"But what?"

"It's a very…intimate thing. Or so I've heard. Because, when two people dream together, it's like…like they're sharing a piece of their souls. I've never done it because of that reason." Jojen met his gaze again, a new resolve in his eyes. "But you are the one, Bran; for you, I will. You are the only thing that matters."

Jojen looked back at Bran, a thought occurring to him, and suddenly he seemed almost shy. "That is—now that you know about it—if you like me enough to want to try it."

Bran ran it all over in his mind. The idea of it at first had seemed scary. But he was going to have to face much scarier things in his life. And this time he was going to have Jojen's help. And more, have a new closeness with the boy. His heart skipped at the thought.

"Yes. I want it. Please, Jojen."

The older boy nodded and came to sit in front of him, close, and brought their foreheads together. He closed his eyes and Bran felt compelled to do the same, feeling a shiver run through him when he felt one of Jojen's hands come to rest on his face and the other entwine with his.

ooo

_The wolf's yellow eyes flew open, and Bran blinked, the familiar green-tinged view coming into focus. This was the part he knew. He knew how to see as the wolf, and ride with the wolf, but not how to keep the dream from shredding in his mind whenever it so pleased. Keeping it was like trying to keep water in your hands._

_A fuzzy presence on the fringes of his mind caught his attention. It was familiar and he drew towards it, even as Summer caught the scent of a stag nearby. The stag came into view then, and Bran saw his familiar eyes. Jojen bounded off and Bran was instantly caught up, running beside him. _

_The dream shifted and then it was Bran, not Summer, and Jojen, in the flesh. They were running still—Bran was running!—and it was like he was flying with happiness._

_But the edges were unraveling. Bran stopped and spun in panic and dismay, reaching out as if he could actually stop it if he could grab the ends and pull. _

_But then it changed again. Jojen was in front of him, holding his face, like a mirror of them in the real world. And it blurred, and Bran saw his own face, as if he were looking through Jojen's eyes. He held his own gaze with a fierce intensity that was most unlike him, and he shivered, because he knew it was Jojen looking at him this way._

_"Hold on, Bran. Concentrate. Focus on me."_

_And he did. He closed his eyes and bent his every thought on the other boy, and all of his dream thoughts as well. He knew somehow that Jojen was doing the same thing with him, and the fabric of their dream began to mend, the un-reality of it feeding on the combined reality of both of them. It began to strengthen with the double dream energy, and then, like a pressurized release of steam, their view shot far into the sky and kept going until they could see for miles and miles. _

_"My gods," Bran breathed. This was ten times at least as far as either of their sights had stretched before._

_But it was too much too fast. Both boys were feeling the strain of the untrained dream-sharing, and Jojen turned to Bran. _

_"We have to end this Bran. But at least we'll end it on our own terms."_

_"Together, right?"_

_"Yes."_

_They were so in sync; more than Bran had ever felt with another person, and more than he ever believed was possible to feel again. Together they pulled each other toward the edges and, with an effort, like making your way through a strong headwind, they broke out._

ooo

With a gasp they pulled apart. But the pull was like ripping off a limb. The distance created between them in that split second was excruciating. Bran cried out and lunged back toward Jojen, landing against his chest as the older boy did the same thing, clashing them together like magnets. They gasped and clung to each other, feeling the strange new sensations deep in their chests. _Almost as if their souls really _had_ swapped pieces, _Bran thought. How were they to function without the new puzzle pieces of their souls? Instinctively Bran knew now that he couldn't be away from Jojen. Even physical distance would be painful.

Was this permanent? Jojen had warned him about this: that something like this might happen. He had been right. But it had also been worth it. The dream had been more controlled than any he'd had, and they both knew that it had been so much more powerful.

"Bran…" Jojen was murmuring into his hair. It sounded like a sob.

"It's okay. Don't be sorry." Bran didn't know how he knew the other boy had been apologizing. He just did, now that they were connected like this.

Bran was about to say something when crashing footsteps interrupted. Meera slid to a stop, catching her breath, and looked at them.

"Jojen—Bran—are you alright? I heard a gasp." Her eyes widened as she took in the situation. She looked at her brother. "Did you…?"

Jojen just nodded. Bran suspected the siblings had discussed the dream sharing before; perhaps talked about whether or not Bran was worth the risk to Jojen. He wondered whether Jojen thought he was. But suddenly he knew the answer to that as if his own mind had supplied it: _Of course, my prince._

ooo

Meera walked with Osha at the back of their little troupe.

"Tell me exactly what happened. What did he do to the little lord?" Osha gave the girl a cold look. It was clear her frail trust in the siblings had been severely shaken.

"It's called dream sharing. What it is, is what it sounds like. But what it _does_, is…well it's mostly just legend. But it's said that it creates a very strong bond between the two…"

"Well that's _obvious_!" Osha glared at Bran and Jojen, where the two traveled ahead of them.

Bran was lying in his cart, as usual, but Jojen walked right beside him, always touching. It had been like this for the past two days, though it _had_ gotten better. At first the two couldn't be more than a foot apart from each other, clinging like dew on leaves, but now they could act normally, as long as they were touching. At least, that's as best as Osha had figured it out. Maybe the touching wasn't really necessary… she wasn't exactly an expert on this sort of thing, and she was also worldly enough not to overlook the possibility that it was just their preference now.

"Aye. Well, they don't seem to mind." Meera hid a smile that she knew would just anger Osha more. Indeed her brother had seemed almost _lovesick_ over the smaller boy, doting at his side not because he had to, but because there was no place he'd rather be.

"And at any rate, I don't think it's permanent. Look at how far they've separated in a couple days. At this rate it should only be a week or so before they're back to normal."

Osha just growled and stalked ahead, muttering in a language Meera didn't know. She made a show of checking on Rickon and the wolves, since it was obvious she wasn't needed to check on Bran.

ooo

As it turned out, Meera had been right: it _did_ wear off as time went by, and a little over a week later, Bran sat alone with Summer around a deserted campfire. It wasn't _really_ deserted, he reminded himself. Osha wasn't far, lurking out of sight somewhere, but close enough to keep a watchful eye. But Jojen was gone; off hunting with his sister, who had jumped at the opportunity for some sibling privacy after the last few days.

Bran looked down at his hand, and felt the missing weight, the close presence that had become so constant, that was now just…gone. It didn't hurt anymore, to be away from him, but it was like searching for something you knew was missing, and peace eluded him. But at the same time, he knew that if he tried even in the slightest, he could find Jojen. As if their minds where compasses, honed in on the other, and all Bran had to do was glance at it, and he would know.

He ran his fingers through the wolf's wiry fur, and Summer looked up. Shaggydog and Rickon came trotting into the clearing then, and the boy sat down by his brother with a grin, as the wolves nuzzled.

"Rick, where have you been?" Bran gave his best mask smile, hoping Rickon wouldn't see anything beyond it.

"Shaggydog was scaring up grouse for me to shoot, in that glen," he pointed.

"Ah. And did you get any?"

"Nah." The boy shrugged off his bow without a care in the world. "Where's Jojen?"

"Off hunting somewhere. I'm sure they're not far."

Rickon hummed thoughtfully and leaned against the wolf. "You mean you _know_ he's not far. You know where he is, don't you? You two are so close."

Bran shifted uncomfortably. When had his baby brother become so perceptive? "I suppose."

"But you're not actually staying close anymore. Do you miss that? Is that why you're sad?"

"I—I'm not sad, Rick. Just tried probably."

"But you miss it?" Rickon was gazing at him with intense eyes that were beyond his ten years. Bran was a little startled by it. The boy always seemed to be in his own world, not talking much, but he _saw_ everything. He would be a powerful ally someday, maybe even a good Hand, if he ever got the chance.

But he had hit the nail on the head. Bran _did_ miss the connection. Maybe just because it provided an excuse to keep Jojen near. He didn't really know what that meant, and he was afraid to look too closely. He didn't really think Jojen was relieved to be released from him, but he did wonder how the other boy was really feeling. Their connection had faded well enough that they couldn't read each other like they could at first.

"I miss…him." Bran said softly.

To his shock, Rickon laughed. "He's not _gone_, Bran! Don't look so down; for once, no one's died. Maybe you'll have to be close to someone the same way the rest of us have to."

"What…do you mean?"

"As in, _without magic_! Good old-fashioned falling in love."

ooooo

((Possibly TBC, I honestly don't know! Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you thought!))


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright guys! So many of you wanted another chapter, well, here you go! As far as I'm concerned, though, this is the last chapter! I hope you enjoy it! Thank you all for all your amazing support! I really enjoy all the feedback :)**

* * *

As Rickon left, Bran realized he was exhausted. He felt…fuzzy. As if his eyes couldn't quit focus. Or more like his _brain_ couldn't focus. It wasn't even midday, but Bran felt his mind coercing his consciousness into sleep, dragging it somewhere with desperation, and eventually he gave in.

ooo

Jojen's arrow landed with a wobbly thump a good eight feet from where the turkey had been.

Meera cursed with a glance in his direction and dropped the bird the next second with her own arrow before it had fled too far.

"Jo, what's wrong?" Her anger never lingered because she knew her brother well enough to know that something like this was most likely somehow because of his…magic. Especially in this case, when Jojen fell to the ground before he could even answer.

"Jojen!" Meera ran over to him.

"I'm…fine. Just…really tired. And I can't focus, that's why I missed." Jojen blinked, his mind blurred again, just like it had been doing all morning, getting worse by the hour. "I just…need to sleep."

Meera looked worried. "Now? Can't you even make it back to camp?" She hesitated, "Does this have to do with Bran?"

Jojen's eyes were drooping, and he barely had the energy to lock them onto hers. "Probably…" he mumbled before losing consciousness completely.

ooo

_Bran saw his arrow fall short and the bird trot away. His hand shook and he could hear his sister's frustrated call from behind him. Soon her hands were on his back reassuringly, as he dropped to his knees. He knew he was going to fall asleep soon. Or maybe he was already asleep. _

_Soon the wolf came upon them and Bran saw Jojen asleep on the forest floor, dreaming. And then they were both the wolf and they ran back the way they'd come. _

_Jojen obligingly listened to his little brother tell him about his own feelings. They were very transparent, and suddenly something awoke in a panic in his mind. Bran shouldn't know about this! If he heard Rickon, he would _know_! He would know how he felt. _

_He sensed that the other boy was near and that he could hear. And suddenly the thought that he was near was both the worst and best thing in the world. The water that would save his life in the desert, while drowning him in the sea._

_Their dream blended and swirled and Jojen realized he was watching Bran sleep through wolf eyes. And Bran was also standing, watching him as a wolf. But there was a void between them, they might've been able to jump it, but at the same time, it was as wide as an ocean._

_It was clear their dreams would fight for eternity until their consciousnesses were together, but no matter how tirelessly they fought, there was a certain element of closeness that it could never achieve._

_This realization hit Bran in the chest like a fist, and Jojen doubled over from the pain of it. He reached out for the other boy, but their fingers passed through each other like smoke. _

ooo

Both boys awoke with a gasp and sat up. They were both back at the campsite, on opposite sides of the fire. Their eyes locked and without a moment's hesitation, they moved. Bran lurched up, and Jojen leaped across the distance, making up for the other's lack of progress, and they latched together, gripping tightly and pulling until there was no more space between them.

It all happened within a few seconds, and it caught the others off guard. But for Bran and Jojen, nothing else existed. When Bran had opened his eyes, everything was still blurry, except for the same pair of eyes matching his across the way. Jojen could see nothing else, and for the first time since he'd left that morning, he could see the solution his mind had been searching for, the sanctuary to satisfy his restlessness.

They both felt a certain completeness wash over them as their limbs matched up and their faces touched. Their dream solidified and completed, both realizing that what their dream had been grasping for—what it could never have gained—was physicality; touch, which they had gone without for the first time since the first shared dream.

With a passing interest he knew he should care more about, Bran realized (and knew somehow that Jojen did too) that they had taken the dream walking to an unheard-of level: they had embodied and seen through the eyes of another human—each other.

Their link had not lessened; not really. When they were not touching, their minds searched for each other restlessly, not complete without the other, greater distance only multiplying it. But now it was as if their minds had simply formed into one mind, and Bran saw twice as many thoughts in his head, not noticing any that seemed particularly foreign, yet he knew some were Jojen's. He felt the other boy run Bran's own thoughts through his mind wonderingly, looking them over with interest. _And love_, Bran realized.

Everything was transparent now, and their shared thought space brought up the scene of Rickon's talk with Bran. Bran widened his eyes in shock and felt his face flush as he mentally scrambled to hide the memory, but Jojen's presence was there in his mind, soothing, and he remembered that Jojen had already seen this.

_"You should already know." _And a thought feeling was pushed to the front of Bran's mind; it warmed him in a way he hadn't felt since losing his family.

Bran responded with a mirrored feeling, his confidence growing, and created for Jojen a scene of how the conversation would have ended. How Bran would have told his brother that he did indeed love the young ranger boy who had come suddenly and completely into his life like a flood.

Jojen smiled, and Bran could see it both with his eyes, and with his mind's eye, which was much more informed. His mind's eye saw a search fulfilled, a long lost family member found, a heart that swelled and felt like sunlight in a summer that never ended; a glow, a white light that was also all the colors in the world, and the feel of fingers entwined with a matching set with which his fit perfectly.

_"Do I need to say it?" _Bran sensed the laughter from the other boy as the thought ran through his own head. "Anyway, _the others are staring."_


End file.
